Passion to serve humanity inspired me to join politics- Ekanem

Elizabeth Ekanem, pediatric therapist/educator, is the African Democratic Congress (ADC), candidate for Lagos State House of Assembly Eti-Osa Constituency 1 for the 2023 general election.

In this exclusive interview with Iniobong Iwok, she reveals what encouraged her to join politics and challenges as a female politician.

Why did you join politics?

About 17 Years ago, I had a set of twins, and lost one. After 3 to 5 years, I discovered my daughter was not responding to calls or normal sounds.

The doctor told me she developed partial hearing and that she needed a hearing aid. Despite efforts to get her back to hearing ability, there was no solution.

I had to take her to a special needs school for hearing impaired children in Surulere. It was stressful and demanding. I lost everything at that stage. I had to apply to study special education, in order to communicate with my child.

Then I started an advocacy programme for other special needs children in my local government area, to assist parents with special needs children.

All these were because we do not have a government special needs school in our local government.

This prompted me to become a voice for children living with disabilities, by contesting an election, so that I can pass bills in their favour.

Secondly, I joined politics, because of the increased number of youths in my local government, who do not have reasons to live better lives, due to the system of the country.

Seeing that there are ways by which we could cope with the high number of young people smoking, prostituting and winning away time.

Through representing them in the State House of Assembly, I can present a bill for rehabilitation and opening of industries and vocational centers to encourage them.

Also, I can work for a bill to be passed in the areas of easing taxation in favour of the people.

In respect to the Lekki flooding, I can lobby the government to find a way to create waterways and drainages to enable water to move through into the canals, to ease Eti-Osa residence, or flood in their various communities during the raining season.

What has been the reception and complaints from people of your constituency during your campaign?

The reception I got from people really encouraged me. It has helped me to change their orientation toward women participation in politics.

It has helped me to inspire women, who do not have the boldness to participate in politics.

I started my political race in 2017 as a student, when the Not Too Young to Run was in the air; that was what motivated my passion for politics.

I have been a fan of politics right from my childhood, while growing up, my father would tune to NTA Channel 5, and to BBC on radio, I was always around him listening, even though I did not understand everything the newscasters were reporting. So, I fell in love with politics, growing up.

Sometimes I will stand in the mirror, telling myself things I will do for people when I grow up.

So, I grew up and got involved with cordial relationships. Life went on, sometimes smoothly, sometimes rough, but I kept pushing it, until I joined politics, and it went from rough to tougher.

The people I trusted began to turn away from me. They used all manners of attitude to discourage me in so many ways.

There was a day I visited my elder brother, and we were talking about life, and he asked me about my career, immediately I told him I was still into my political mission, and he told me I should never discuss anything of such with him, that he is never in support of female participation in politics.

I now visited my younger brother, he did the same. He did not want me to come to his house, to avoid political attacks.

The only person who gave me his support was my dad. When I called him and told him I was running for a position in politics, first he was shocked, and started praying for me.

He said, “have always known you will go through that route or be a newscaster, because of the way you were always in love with the news casters”.

My father gave me words of encouragement and supported my ambition till date.

As a female candidate, what challenges have you faced so far?

Before the 2019 election, my neighbours have always been in-good terms with me, but immediately they found out I was contesting for the election, they started abstaining from me.

Read also: CSOs urge women to engage, participate in politics

Some warned their children not to enter my flat again, saying that politicians are fetish, among other ridiculous statements.

The men withdrew their wives from me; that they will get corrupt by associating with a female politician, because I used to assist the unlearned women on adult education whenever I had the chance.

That prompted me to begin the mission of grooming young women into social and society development to change their mind-set, toward female politicians/leadership.

I had about 10 mentees from ward C, who were very dedicated to the woman advocate.

What do you think is responsible for the hostile reception to female politicians?

The society we live in does not really welcome female politicians. It makes us feel unaccepted and by doing so, it pushes us to work harder than supposed, just to convince the people around us that we are still who they knew .

When I was in school, I discovered a lot of my classmates were always abstaining from me, especially the females amongst us.

I tried finding out and got to know that it was really because of feminism in politics, that it was wrong as a lady to join national politics, while still in school that it is a dirty game.

Some expected me to be coming to school with securities and cheapen my political appearance.

But I was very much encouraged by most of my lectures and the dean.

After I was done with school some few years back, it became a challenge for me to get a job.

Most of the places I submit my CV, once they google my name, or check me on Facebook, they quickly withdraw their appointment, or advise me to go and establish my own company, that as a politician, I should face politics.

So, as a female politician, I had gone through a lot of rejection. My pastor has really been in support of my ambition.

The church even has a political section as a body, where we table some of the issues facing the communities in which we live, to the state government.

Such as the out of school children on the street of Lekki, just concluded the programme in December. The race is not for the swift.